Las Vegas — A lady was detained after a dog was discovered dead in a cage left outside in the scorching heat at a southeast Las Vegas residence on Saturday.
Las Vegas Metro police were dispatched to a property in the 6800 block of Frances Celia Avenue, near Tropicana Avenue and East Russell Road, after Clark County Animal Protection Services requested assistance.
Police say the dog was locked inside a kennel and left in the intense heat for several hours. Animal cruelty investigators later identified the owner as Olivia Underwood, 30.
Underwood was arrested and lodged into Clark County Detention Center. She is charged with one count of deliberate or malicious abuse, maiming, or murdering a dog, according to authorities.
A neighboring neighbor recorded a video of the dog and shared it with authorities.
“When I called APS, they told me the officer was about twenty minutes away and I said, I don’t think the dog will make it that long,” replied the neighbor. “Then moments later, after I hang up the phone, the dog started having a seizure and died shortly after.”
Bryce Henderson, president of the animal rights organization “No Kill Las Vegas,” first brought the terrible footage to 8 News Now’s notice.
“In such a short period of time, you see this dog alive in his kennel, and then he collapses and dies. I hope this serves as a message to everyone out there that you must take the Vegas heat seriously,” Henderson told 8 News Now.
Henderson further stated that he hopes the owner will be held accountable for their conduct.
“When people don’t have serious consequences to killing animals or abusing animals, then they are not going to take the law seriously,” Henderson pointed out. “I can only imagine how frequently this occurs. This is just one example of someone videotaping it, but how often does this happen and we never hear about it?”
Underwood was released on bond.